Victorian Holiday Tea To Help Church Restoration

December 08, 1991|By Martin Zabell.

It sounds unfeeling to say a tornado can be a blessing in disguise, but sometimes that`s what it takes to appreciate what you have.

Since 1853, 20 years after the congregation was organized, the St. James Church and Cemetery at Sag Bridge has graced a hill overlooking the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal. Every Sunday, about 200 parishioners gathered at the Roman Catholic church just northeast of Lemont to pray.

If the congregants were aware that the limestone church`s Irish immigrant founders also built a canal that was instrumental in Chicago`s development, they probably didn`t talk about it much.

If they knew they were in the oldest church in northern Illinois still at its original site, they probably took it for granted.

All that changed on March 27, 1991, the day a tornado struck the church, damaging its roof and destroying dozens of homes in Lemont.

While the storm caused hundreds to suffer, it apparently improved the church`s long-term prospects.

Fortunately, insurance covered the cost of reattaching the roof to the church.

But the shock of the storm demonstrated the structure was tenuous and reminded everyone that little restoration work had been done recently.

Consequently, the St. James Preservation Society was formed in April.

``We thought maybe now was the time to do what we can to make sure this place stays around a lot longer,`` said Foran, one of several non-parishioners who belong to the Preservation Society.

The Preservation Society decided to restore the church to its 1888 look, a five-year project that will cost at least $200,000. The group chose 1888 because that was the year the church was expanded and a steeple was added.

At their first fundraiser, a comedy show by radio personality Kevin Matthews, the preservation society raised more than $25,000.

The group`s second fundraiser, a Victorian Holiday Tea called ``An Old-Fashioned Christmas at St. James,`` will be held at Saginaw Hall on church property at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15; The tea will follow the 1:30 p.m. mass. Eileen D` Angelo, the president of the Preservation Society, is hoping 175 people will attend the tea at $10 apiece.

Guests will have tea and cookies and be given guided tours of the church`s grounds every 15 minutes until 4 p.m. A lecture on the canal will be included.

If the weather is bad, slides will be shown.

More fundraisers will be necessary if the Preservation Society is to achieve its objectives.

Currently, Preservation Society members and architects they have hired are trying to figure out what the church looked like in 1888.

``It`s like detective work,`` said Paul Harding, the president of Chicago-based Harding Associates, which specializes in architecture, interior design and planning.

The Preservation Society is considering reconstructing the altars to the left and right of the central altar and placing replicas of old statues in the Gothic altars.

About 16 stations of the cross, three-dimensional 18-inch-high pictures made of plaster, will be hung on the inside side walls of the church. A mosaic mural will be uncovered and restenciled.

In addition, the carpeting will be removed, the doors will be replaced, and the church`s panels will be refinished in a lighter shade.

Outside, the congregants want to make the structure more secure. There is also a long-range plan to restore the cemetery, which contains the oldest identified graves in Cook County.

Because of the congregation`s size, the Preservation Society needs help from groups such as Inspired Partnerships, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving churches, and the Canal Corridor Association, which seeks to preserve the history of the I&M Canal.

``The church is a living memorial to so many people,`` said Jerry Adelmann, the president of the Chicago-based Corridor Association. ``It tells so many important stories of the (I&M Canal) heritage corridor.``

People interested in attending the Dec. 15 fundraiser are asked to make reservations by calling 708-352-2534. Those who don`t want to go to the event but would like to help can still send a check to the St. James Preservation Society at Lemont National Bank, 310 Main St., Lemont, Ill., 60439.